Growth Mindset and Me
Before this class, I had never heard of Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset, but I can relate to much of what she discussed in her videos. In my last three years, I have noticed my hardest classes taught me the most. The classes that assigned me long essays, difficult projects, and detailed readings left me with the most lasting impressions when the semester was over. I believe this is a perfect example of Dweck's "Make Challenge the New Comfort Zone." In my easier classes, I wasn't challenged; therefore, I did not put in the effort to genuinely learn the material. I subconsciously put in just enough effort to get an A. These easier classes tend to be the ones that assign meaningless homework assignments and then have multiple multiple choice exams. This class structure, I have noticed, only teaches students how to shove information quickly into our immediate memory, regurgitate the facts you had just memorized, and then forget about it as soon as the class is over. Although I appreciate easier classes for obvious reasons, I do recognize that I simply just do not get anything out of them at the end.
Also, I really enjoyed Dweck's piece about believing that you can improve. If you believed you have peaked or plateaued, you simply will not put in the effort needed to learn something new; I know I wouldn't. One of my favorite quotes is Henry Ford's "If you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." Believing you can do something already puts you half way there because now you are mentally equip to put in the required effort to achieve a goal. I strive to use this mentality in everything I do.
Lastly, I appreciate Dweck and her research because it shows society that humans are more than just smart or dumb. Intelligence is not fixed, decided at birth, or one size fits all. Rather, it is malleable, ever-changing, and forever-growing. Hopefully, more research on growth mindset will lead to changed grading structures, new school policies, and simply more excitement from young people to learn.
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